


All My Stars Are Leading Me to You

by orphan_account



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Cockatrices, Developing Relationship, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, Lack of Communication, Magical Creatures, Past Child Abuse, Post-Canon, Post-Movie 1: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Romance, Some Action, Some adventure, Tags Are Hard, Work In Progress, kind of, suspend belief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-14 14:05:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9184963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Newt returns to New York after his book is published, but things aren't as smooth as everyone would hope them to be.There still remains relationship maneuvering with Tina, a still obliviated Jacob, a depressed Queenie, and the ever-so-bothersome problem of a cockatrice running rampant in Manhattan.Unfinished and Discontinued.  There IS a wrap up summary in chapter 6, if you want to know what happens.





	1. Chapter 1

In his zeal to see Tina again, he’d of course forgotten her landlady’s rules.  And in his desire not to overstep his bounds, Newt hadn’t apparated directly into the Goldsteins’ apartment…true, he didn’t know what wards Queenie and Tina had protecting their abode, but nonetheless, it wouldn’t be polite to simply appear in a lady’s sitting room, whether one knew how to bypass the wards or not.  No, he’d rung the bell like a gentleman.  A ‘No-Mag’ gentleman.  

And of course come face to face with Mrs. Esposito.  Who had practically shooed him away from the door.  Not before Tina had appeared at the top of the stairs to bear witness.  Naturally.  

He found himself nearly pushed from the porch, with Tina in hot pursuit. She grasped his lapels, pulling him to within an inch of her face before she froze, taking a step back and letting him go.  She offered her hand instead.  “Mr. Scamander…”

“Ms. Goldstein,” he replied, dipping his head as he took her hand.  In his front pocket, Pickett attempted to wriggle free for a peek at the person who’d been taking up practically every spare thought Newt had as of late.  Not that a Bowtruckle could read minds, but he assumed he must have been rather absent-minded for his creatures to take notice.  

Her eyes were bright…almost too bright now that Newt was here with her.  He’d thought about them…dreamed about them for going on months now, but here in person, he almost had to look away.  

Almost.  

“How…how are you?” she asked, gently removing her hand from his so she could grip the sides of her housecoat as she wrapped it around her.  She’d obviously been in a hurry to get down here once she’d realized who was knocking at the door.   

“You’re cold…I’m sorry…” he looked away for the first time since he’d been in her presence, realizing belatedly that it was rather cold.  Snowing, in fact.  He bent slightly to set his case down, spotting Mrs. Esposito still standing at the door, glowering in his direction.  

Tina took notice, turning to bid her return inside, waving her hands and promising she wouldn’t bring him into the apartment.  “How can I, Mrs. Esposito?  You’re going to be guarding the entryway!”  

When finally the landlady returned indoors, Tina turned back, taking his hand and nodding down at the case.  He reached down to take the handle just in time for the crack of their apparation and reappearance inside Tina’s apartment.

It looked exactly the way he remembered it, sans the scarves and other things knitting themselves in front of the fire.  Queenie was nowhere to be found either, and the only room that had the lamps on was the sitting room, likely the one Tina had been occupying before he arrived.  There was a book open and face down on the coffee table.  An apple with a few bites taken out of it.  A pair of brown house slippers haphazardly laying on the floor.   

Newt took off his coat, careful to allow Pickett time to crawl up his sleeve to his shoulder before he folded the garment over his arm.  

Tina tidied up with a flick of her wand, grabbing the apple out of midair and taking another bite as the book and the slippers floated by and into their rightful places.  His coat, too, floated up and over to a hook by the door.  She gestured to the sofa before taking up residence in the chair beside it.  She folded one leg underneath and sat down, pulling the other up and giving her an almost catlike look as she perched on the seat.  

Newt realized belatedly that he’d been staring at her when she raised her eyebrows, tilting her head and taking another bite of the apple.  

He sat down on the sofa, setting his case on the floor at his feet.  “How are _you_ , Tina?”  

Her lips twitched upward in the corners, a small shy smile that he immediately recognized. “I’ve been doing very well, Newt.  And yourself?”   

He could immediately feel the tension draining from his shoulders.  He’d been slightly (more than slightly now that he was thinking about it) worried about her reaction to him once he’d returned.  He wasn’t the best at written correspondence, and he hadn’t really sent a letter in advance to foretell his coming.  He’d mostly just grabbed one of his books (as promised) and hopped on the boat.  

It was rather rude of him to simply drop in on her, he supposed, and he wasn’t sure how to go about apologizing.  Simply coming out with it seemed to be his safest bet.  

“I’ve been well…I do apologize for dropping in on you so very suddenly…” he looked down, sufficiently contrite in his poor manners.  

“No, no…don’t…” Tina reached for his hand, squeezing it briefly until he looked up at her.  “Really, Newt…” she shook her head, grinning widely.  “I’m just so happy to see you.”  

Pickett chirped indignantly, causing her to reach up and hold out her hand.  “And you too, Pickett.”  Newt was pleasantly surprised when his anxious little Bowtruckle hopped immediately into Tina’s outstretched palm.  He wasted no time making his way up to the front pocket of her blouse. She shrugged.  “Must like the way I smell or something…”  

Newt knew better.  Pickett was a little scamp, he was.    

But, he merely returned her smile, reaching for his case. “And that’s me as well...I’m so happy to see you...as is Pickett…” He nodded towards the mischievous little creature who was currently peeking at him from Tina’s pocket.   “I should have written, Tina, to let you know when to expect me…I was simply so excited to see you again, I just hopped on a boat and came here…”  He set it flat on the coffee table, untying the rope and flipping the locks.  The book he’d brought for Tina was in a satchel hanging near the tip top of the ladder down to his cabin, so it was simple to reach in and come back out again.  Tina flinched as he held his hand out, as if she expected something to bite her.  Newt supposed it was a reasonable assumption, given his track record with opening his case.  “No, Tina…just my book.”

“Your book?!”  She set her apple on the table again, taking the book from him with only the slightest squeal as she flipped it open to the title page.  “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them…by Newt Scamander…”  She took her bottom lip between her teeth to stave off a wider grin, but she immediately flipped past the acknowledgments page and onward to the introduction.  

Newt wanted to stop her.  To point out the acknowledgments page…in the hopes that she’d read what he’d written there about her, but he held back.  It would be easier if he wasn’t in the room while she read it.  He didn’t think he’d be able to stand the tension.  Watching her read it.  Hoping she liked it…hoping that she didn’t look up at him and call him a nitwit.  A fool.  A moron for writing what he wrote.  He knew deep down that Tina would never…ever say something so hurtful, but then there was the niggling little voice in the back of his mind that never let him relax in a comfortable thought.  

She had shifted in her seat to angle her body towards him, her legs both curled beneath her as she read through the introduction, chuckling at a word here and there.  She chewed on her thumbnail as she read.

She finished the intro more quickly than he was prepared for, and she caught him looking at her.  This time, his eyes were following her hairline as it dipped down behind her ear.    

Newt apologized quickly and she either didn’t hear him, or ignored it entirely.  “I’m going to read all of this later, but I want to spend some time with you before you have to go…”  She closed the book again, placing it on the coffee table as she unfolded her legs, standing again to her full height and walking towards the darkened kitchen.  “Are you hungry?”  

“Before I have to…go?” he asked quietly.  

She raised her eyebrows.  “Are you…staying _here_? Or…I assumed you…”  

“Oh! No, no, I have have room already…” he jutted his thumb vaguely behind him.  “I got one when I came into town…I just…I wasn’t planning on leaving for a while…” he glanced up at the clock on the wall. “If I’m intruding, though…I realize it’s nearly suppertime and—”  

She laughed aloud.  “Oh…” She shook her head again, momentarily covering her face.  Her cheeks turned a rather lovely shade of pink.  “I was confused…I thought…but never mind.  Newt, please stay for dinner?”

He found himself nodding.  Smiling slightly at her flustered appearance.

She pressed her lips together, waving her wand as a tablecloth and dishes appeared on the table.  She set three places before turning her attention to the food.  Her brow furrowed as she mumbled the necessary incantations to put what turned out to be a very handsome-looking chicken with peas and carrots onto the table.  A chocolate cake followed, looking decidedly less handsome, but still most definitely edible-looking.  

Tina cursed under her breath as the cake sort of flopped onto the serving plate, the frosting splattering down onto the table cloth.  She fixed it with a scouring charm, though.  

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.  “I’m no Queenie, but hopefully it’s edible this time…”  

 _This time?_  

Newt decided that changing the subject might prove to be more prudent than to react at all to what Tina had just said.  “Where _is_ your sister? I…I assume she’s still living here?” 

“She is…she’s…” Tina sighed again.  “Out.”  

The way she said the word practically dripped with disapproval.  

“Oh…”  

“She’s visiting Jacob.  She always visits him on her way home from work…”  Tina shook her head.  “I know—I know _why_ , but I just… _wish_ she was being more careful.  If Jacob’s memory is jogged…I didn’t like obliviating him any more than she did.  But…”  She looked helplessly at Newt.  “MACUSA law…I wish she could let him go.”  

Newt tried to look sympathetic, even though he had to admit to himself that he was completely on Queenie’s side here.  If Jacob’s memory could be jogged by anything, it’d be by Queenie.  Ever since Jacob had backed into the rain that fateful day, Newt had second guessed his decision to allow it.  

And judging by the look on Tina’s face, she felt the same.  His heart went out to her, for the quandary she was surely in.  He wished there was a right answer.  A quick fix.  Something that could make it an easy decision for her.  

“How _is_ work, Tina?” he asked, opting to change the subject yet again to something that he knew Tina would want to talk about.    

She smiled, taking a seat across from him at the table. “It’s good.  Definitely more exciting.  I’ve been moved back up to Auror again—”  

She lapsed into animated chatter about her job, filling him in on the high points and the low points.  How she was thrilled to once again be back in the thick of things.  How nice it was to not be bored and boring in Wand Registration.  

He loved listening to her talk — about anything really — it was so nice to hear her voice.  

They both began eating, and as much as Newt usually wasn’t picky about this sort of thing…he had to admit that Queenie was the better cook of the two Goldstein sisters.  

But, fortunately, Tina had already found her way to his heart and hadn’t had to use his stomach at all.  Which was probably a good thing.  Considering her blatant overuse of salt.  Newt actually considered himself the better cook of the two of them at the moment, and that was saying something.  His specialty was porridge.

The chocolate cake _was_ good, though.  Even if it wasn’t pretty looking, and if the frosting inside the cake had a decided lack of cocoa.  

He ate two helpings of everything, regardless.  It genuinely surprised Tina when he asked.  

She kept Queenie’s food out on the table for her, casting a warming charm over the plate as she cleared and washed the dishes with a flick of her wand.  

It was nearly eight by the time he’d finished the absolutely over-steeped cup of tea Tina brought him after dinner.  He honestly hadn’t ever had tea this bad before, but he chalked it up to her being American and a little heavy-wanded with her cooking incantations.  

He said goodbye to her in her living room, and as much as he wanted to do something more than touch her face this time, he couldn’t work up the courage.  Luckily for him, she was a bit more bold than he and leaned in to hug him before he apparated.  He appreciated their comparable heights in that moment, because they fit together so unbelievably well.  Her head on his shoulder and his likewise.  She carried a slight floral scent in her hair, one that he recognized, but not by name.  It hung on a note of something he didn’t know from anywhere other than Tina herself.  He pulled away from her before he was ready, not wanting to overstay his welcome either in her home or in her arms.  

“Come along, Pickett…” He said, arching a brow at the little imp as he pretended not to hear him.  “Pickett...let’s not overstay our welcome with Ms. Goldstein…”

Tina smiled then, reaching into her pocket to allow the bowtruckle to hop onto her hand once more.  It took some finagling, pleading and bartering to get him back into Newt’s coat pocket again.    

She folded her arms and stepped back slightly, waving as he raised his wand.  He apparated out into the street, aiming for an alley between her building and the next.

He hoped to see Queenie the following day.  He wasn’t able to stay for a very long time this visit.  He was really only going to be here for five days. The following day was Saturday, so he hoped to be able to stop in and see her before he had to leave.  

Not to mention, he aimed to see Tina every day he was here…if she’d allow such a thing.  

* * *

 

Tina exhaled steadily as the crack of Newt’s apparition faded.  Her heart was thudding in her chest so hard, she was certain it was audible.  She couldn’t help but grin and giggle just a little.  

Newt was just so…

Just so wonderful.

Her entire body felt warm as she mentally recounted the events of her afternoon.  Every word he’d spoken — there hadn’t been many, but Newt hadn’t ever really been a man of many words.  It was the little things.  The looks.  The smiles.      

And he’d eaten her cooking.  Her horrible, horrible cooking.  She knew she was heavy-wanded when it came to seasonings; she somehow had never really gotten the hang of it.  Just another thing Queenie was good at that she wasn’t.  It hadn’t really ever been an issue before today.  Because she’d never really wanted to cook for someone else before today.  

But for whatever reason, she’d decided to attempt a chicken.  And with him there in the kitchen with her.  He’d surely seen her mumbling the cooking incantations under her breath, but he didn’t seem to mind.  

And he’d eaten two helpings.  Of everything.

She hugged her arms around herself and practically skipped back to her bedroom to change into her pajamas. Her slippers were under her dresser where she’d sent them earlier.  She was intending to make a cup of cocoa and curl up with Newt’s book.  He was so passionate about his creatures, she wanted to see what he’d written about each one.  She wanted talking points for the next time she saw him.  Whenever that was.  

She frowned when she realized she hadn’t gotten a promise of a next time from him, but she assumed he’d be by again. He would be, right?  

She heard the front door open and close, so she ducked her head out of the bedroom door, delighted to finally see Queenie coming home.  “You’re late,” she called.  A reprimand, but a very, very light-hearted one.  Queenie hadn’t been herself lately.  Only really smiling when she was coming from seeing Jacob.  Which was most of the reason why Tina hadn’t put a stop to the visits.  It pained her to see her beloved sister so upset, and by a law that really — the more Tina thought about it — was really so dated and unneeded.  There should be something they could do about it.  Given Newt’s opinion of America’s laws concerning No-Maj relations, she had to believe Britain had it figured out.  Why couldn’t they?  Why couldn’t her sister be happy?     

Her sister smiled, stepping out of her coat as it flew to the the hook on the wall.  “I know, I’m sorry, Teeny.  I just…I needed some quiet…”

Tina couldn’t help but soften even more at the tone of her voice.  She knew how loud it got in New York for someone like Queenie.  She didn’t know where she went off to, though.  Where in this bustling city she could go to get some peace.  Queenie often said that everyone’s thoughts just shouted at her here.  People were so passionate, so driven…and their thoughts reflected that.  

“How was Mr. Kowalski?” she asked, shooting Queenie a look as she toed off her shoes.  The mauve heels flew back towards her bedroom.  Queenie shook her head, failing to hide her mischievous smile.  

“I think the real question is, how was _Mr. Scamander_?”  

Tina blushed, grinning widely.  “He’s fine.  He came by to drop off his book.  And to have dinner…”  

“Dinner?  Oh honey…you cooked for him…”  Queenie tilted her head sympathetically.  “A whole chicken?  That’s…ambitious.” She raised her eyebrows.  

Tina rolled her eyes.  For the love of Mercy Lewis.   “Now, now.  He _likes_ my cooking.  He ate two helpings of _everything._ Even if I did forget the cocoa in the filling of the chocolate cake again.”  Maybe her cooking wasn’t bad, maybe it was just for people with…different tastes.    

Queenie smirked.  “You’re too impatient.  You over-salt and you under-cocoa.” Usually Tina didn’t mind her kind-hearted jabs at her homemaking skills, but for some reason they were striking a nerve tonight.     

Tina huffed indignantly.  “He was HERE, watching me. I was nervous.  Besides, it doesn’t matter.  He liked it.”   _And I even made him tea after._  

“We have tea?” Queenie wrinkled her nose.  “Where did you find tea?”  

“From that tin in the cupboard…” Tina pulled the tin in question from the counter, floating it over towards them.  

Her sister raised her eyebrows.  “I don’t remember buying this…was it here when we moved in?”  

“NO,” Tina scoffed.  “I bought it once to see what all the fuss was about…it’s not my taste.”  

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t go bad, does it?” Queenie asked.  The truth was, neither of them drank tea or really knew much about preparing it.    

Tina shrugged in response.  “He didn’t complain.  About anything.  He had seconds. _Of everything_.”  She could barely contain her squeal of excitement.  

“Well…he _is_ a Brit…”  

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  

“And he lives alone.”  

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying…” Queenie grinned.  “I’m happy for you, honey.”  She sat down at the table and picked up her fork and knife.  Tina poured her a glass of water while she cut her food, taking a tentative bite and frowning.  “Oh Teeny…”  

“What?”  

“Marry this man.  Before you turn him into pickle…”  


	2. Chapter 2

_ “Marry this man. Before you turn him into a pickle…” _

She pushed the jab at her cooking aside…pushed  _ far _ aside because she could only really begin to think about the beginning of the sentence.  The part where Queenie had advised her to marry Newt.  She’d probably only been joking, given the second part of her sentence.  But Tina couldn’t help but read a little bit of truth in the jest.  

_ “Marry this man…”  _

Her.  Tina Goldstein.  Marrying someone.  

Not that she thought she  _ wouldn’t _ marry someone.  She assumed she’d meet her future someone…well, in the  _ future _ . She wasn’t prepared for this. So by all rights, she  _ should _ be scared of the thought of forever with someone.  Especially since she still hadn’t achieved her goal.  Tina was nothing if not a stickler for a schedule.  For rules.  And by her own admission, ten years before as a sixteen year old, she’d promised herself that she wasn’t going to get married until she’d reached her pinnacle.   _ Pinnacle _ being, of course…the very top of where she could plausibly go. Her personal best.  

The problem was…it wasn’t scary.  Not in most respects.   It was scary in that she hadn’t really ever considered what forever actually  _ was _ with someone.  And now that she was considering it…it wasn’t scary.  It was scary that it wasn’t scary.    Wasn’t it?  It really wasn’t a question she could answer right now.  The  _ real _ problem she should be considering is if she had she reached her pinnacle yet.  Was she as high in her career as she possibly could be?  What if that wasn’t even her personal best?  How would she know? 

She was mentally kicking herself for lolly-gagging this past year since Newt left.  For lolly-gagging and for failing to see the possibilities in their relationship.  How she’d missed it, she’d never know.  Queenie obviously hadn’t, and she was a Legilimens, so it had to have been in Tina’s thoughts somewhere.  

Of course he was in her thoughts.

Newt Scamander featured in nearly every one of her daydreams.  She’d feel herself slip off into one at her desk at work.   Usually during the time of the day that she did her paperwork.  She’d wonder what he was up to.  She’d shape his day-to-day in her mind based off of his letters. She’d imagine his shy smile and the way he’d looked at her when he left.  How he’d hesitated before getting on the boat.  It was becoming a productivity problem.   

Like right now, actually. Right now, she was experiencing one of these productivity problems.  Today was very nearly unbearable since she’d only just seen him the night before.  Without warning.  Without so much as a letter from him in weeks. That, combined with Queenie’s astute, if only half-serious advice…and she was practically useless all day.  She’d almost forgotten basic protocol at an arrest earlier.  And currently, she had mountains of paperwork to deal with.  

She sighed heavily, forcing herself out of her thoughts so she could get back to the matter at hand.  

The “Obscurus incident” had scared everyone.  And by “Obscurus incident”, of course she meant the huge security breach that was Grindelwald. 

_ Everyone _ was scared. All the way from the lowliest mail-room employee to President Picquery herself.  And the new rules and guidelines reflected that.  As an Auror, almost half of Tina’s time was spent filling out forms.  For everything.  From every minor curse to the highest magical crimes.  All of them now required paperwork.  

So much paperwork that their Auror staff had nearly doubled to account for the time loss.  And there were new recruits coming in every day.  

With Graves’ kidnapping and subsequent polyjuicing…the breach in security was without a doubt, the worst one in the history of MACUSA.  Everyone was now expected to report to someone else.  

Tina had been thrilled to find out about all the veteran Aurors receiving their own squadron of greenhorns.  She herself had five under her.  But instead of teaching them the ropes, she was simply responsible for ‘checking’ them.  ‘Checking’ them as in checking their forms and sending them to her supervisor.  Who sent it to  _ their _ supervisor.  Who sent it along to Graves.  Who spent nearly 100% of the time at MACUSA headquarters in his office and definitely not talking to anyone.  Not that she could really blame him.  Not after everything that had happened.  

Tina herself was still feeling the effects of her escape from the MACUSA death cell.  She and Newt had hexed many of her fellow Aurors.  Of course she’d been cleared of any wrong-doing, but it was still difficult to look some of them in the eye.  Especially after they’d come into contact with the Swooping Evil.    

She’d told Newt how exciting her job was, but now that she was facing it down…it wasn’t.  Not really.  Not with all the bureaucracy now involved.  The series of checks and balances that in her opinion didn’t help the magic community at all.  It only saved MACUSA from any kind of blame in the event that another “Obscurus incident” happened.  All anyone seemed to care about anymore was maintaining the Statute of Secrecy and beyond that, personally covering their rear end from any kind of blame.  

She sighed and moved another form packet into her outbound box.  The next few were sheets of check boxes.  She felt her vision begin to swim as her stomach growled.  The clock on the wall on the far end of the room read one p.m.  

“Tina?”  

She turned at the familiar voice, looking up into her sister’s smiling face. And just behind her…

Tina smiled, “Newt, hello!”  

He smiled too, but Queenie was the one who spoke.  “You were supposed to go to lunch an hour ago, Teeny…”  

“I know…I just…” she gestured to her desk.  “I was trying to get ahead…”  

“You can’t get ahead on an empty stomach.  Come have lunch with us!” Queenie flicked her wand, and all the papers skittered into drawers. 

Tina reached for her coat and hat.  She had come to a logical stopping point.  And she was so bored she couldn’t concentrate anyway.  

That’s what she told herself anyway, as she pulled on her coat and hurried to keep up with Newt.  

* * *

 

Queenie walked several paces in front of Newt and Tina, as if to give them privacy.  Even though thus far, Tina noticed, they had done little other than glance furtively at the other the whole way to the cafe.  

Her mind was racing.  Dueling thoughts about Newt and her job.  How she didn’t know if getting to the top of her career was such a priority anymore.  

But at the same time, she thought that perhaps her mind just might be fogged by the surge of hormones and infatuation she felt for the man walking beside her.  

Did he feel the same?  Would he be willing to quit  _ his _ life’s work for her?  Could she ever ask such a thing of him just so she could continue filling out forms and going on the odd curse breaking call?  Was she getting all flustered about this for no reason?  Perhaps she was the only one who felt this way, who was thinking like this.  It wouldn’t be the first time.  A particularly painful memory from school started to rear its ugly head and she squashed it down before it could take hold.  

Maybe for him, this was little more than a friendship.  

She hadn’t even thought about  _ that _ being a possibility until now.  But with the previous occurrence hovering just there in her mind, she had to admit it was possible.  When she had feelings, they were always deep.  They were always fast.  And they usually were not reciprocated.  It was entirely possible that she’d repeated a past mistake. Mistakes.  More than once, she’d done this. Both in school and beyond.  Enough that she’d started to see that maybe it wasn’t youthful indiscretion on her part, maybe it was an inability to read people.  Particularly men.         

Her heart sank when she looked over at him again.  Her face must have changed, because he reached out to brush her hand, his eyebrow quirking slightly.  Inquisitively. The touch of his hand sent a jolt of something through her.  Something electric.    

She forced a small smile, searching his eyes and coming back with more questions than answers.  

The simple thing would be to sit down with him later and ask him.  Just straightforward  _ ask _ what his intentions were with her.  She didn’t have a father or a mother to do this…and it would be helpful to know ahead of time.  

Queenie stopped walking long enough to cough and to shoot her a reprimanding look.  Obviously those books she’d picked up on how to block a Legilimens weren’t working.

Tina pressed her lips together and re-evaluated.  Whether or not she wanted the advice, obviously Queenie was right.  It wasn’t very romantic in the slightest to just come out and ask someone what their intentions were.  And like many girls, it was a dream of hers to finally, FINALLY be surprised by a man down on one knee.  The thought of Newt proposing made her weak in hers, if she was being completely honest with herself.  But she couldn’t think about that.  Couldn’t hope for it.  Not until she knew for sure how he felt about her.    

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice that they’d arrived at the cafe.  Or that her hand was clasped tightly in Newt’s.  Or that their fingers were laced.  Or that his thumb was gently stroking the back of her hand.  

She looked down at their hands, her face blushing what she was sure was one of the darker shades of crimson.  Newt gave her one of his little half-smirks, his own cheeks reddening slightly as they moved, still hand-in-hand, into the restaurant.  She didn’t want to let go and it seemed he didn’t either.  

Her shoulders relaxed a little and she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

Maybe he  _ did _ feel the same.  At least a little bit.   And that was something more than her previous attempts at this.   

They sat indoors.  Newt on one side of the booth, Queenie and Tina on the other.  

As much as Tina wanted to be as close to him as was humanly possibly without being obscene, she was the one who chose to sit beside Queenie.  

* * *

 

Lunch was…quiet, but interesting.  Queenie talked, asked Newt some questions, which he answered with either a nod of his head or a one or two-word reply.  Tina caught him looking at her no less than four times, and each time, she thought her stomach was going to swoop right out of her body.  

“Tina spent the entire evening reading your book, Mr. Scamander…”  Queenie said with a barely concealed grin.  

Tina blushed, not for the first time that afternoon.  “Queenie…”  

“What?  You did!”  Her sister turned back towards Newt.  “I think that says a lot about your writing ability.  She barely ever reads anymore.”  

“Did you?  Enjoy it?”  Newt asked, suddenly straightening up in his seat, leaning forward on the table.  “I…I hope you liked what you read?”  He seemed expectant.  Hopeful.  

Tina felt warm all over.  She grinned widely.  “Of course I did, Newt.  I can tell…I can tell you care deeply about them.”  

He blinked, seeming a little dazed.  “What’s that now?”  

“Your creatures?  I can tell you care deeply about each one you’ve written about.  It comes through the words.  The way you described the Grindylow…it seems like a horrible little thing.  But you make it seem not quite so horrible…and you maintain a cautionary tone.  So while I’m not really—”  

“You read…the whole thing then?” he asked, interrupting her.  

“Umm, no.  I’m sorry…” Tina laughed nervously.  “I’m not that fast, I’m afraid.”  

He frowned for a split second before he mirrored her laugh.  “Of course not. I apologize, I’m simply…simply desperate for feedback.”  

“Oh! Well.  I’m pretty sure I’m not the first person you should ask…I’m…just me.”  She shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich.  

His eyebrows raised.  “Tina…yours is the only—” he stopped immediately, changing tactics mid-sentence.  “I don’t think you’re  _ just _ anything.  I think you’re…I think you’re splendid.”

“Likewise,” she replied quietly.  

* * *

 

The walk back to MACUSA was uneventful, except that Newt held her hand again.  As soon as they left the cafe, she found her hand was tightly clasped in his.  

Being around him made her cheeks hurt from all the smiling.   

Queenie walked in front of them again.  Her skirt swished around her legs as her heels clicked on the sidewalk.  Her stride just a little faster than Tina wanted to walk, but still they kept up with her.    

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing you again…” Newt began, his thumb stroking the back of her hand again as they approached the Woolworth’s building.  

“I’ve enjoyed seeing you too,” she admitted.  

“I hope to see you soon…” he continued. “Both of you,” he directed towards Queenie. 

“You could come have dinner again,” Tina offered hopefully.  

“I wouldn’t want to—”  

“It’s no bother, honey,” Queenie filled in for him.  

“Is Tina going to…cook again?” he asked, looking between them.  

“If you want me to!” Tina beamed and clasped his hand in both of hers.  His eyes went immediately to his hand, and then back up to her face.  “Do you really want me to cook?”  

“Of course!”  He mirrored her expression.  

Tina was ecstatic, she shot Queenie an ‘I-told-you-so’ look, barely able to refrain from sticking out her tongue like she had when they were kids.  “I’m going to make a pie!” 

“I can hardly wait,” he said genuinely.  He tugged gently on his hand and brought hers up to his lips.  He pressed them softly against her knuckles.  His face reddened immediately.  “Tonight, Tina?”  

“Tonight…I’ll see you after work?”  

He coughed, straightening his back and nodding once.  “Yes.  Quite.”  

He said goodbye to Queenie again before turning to walk back in the direction he’d come from. 

Tina probably would have giggled and jumped up and down if she hadn’t been standing there in public.  As it was, she shot Queenie an excited grin and a tiny little squeal escaped.   

“I’m happy for you, Teeny.” Queenie’s smile was off, though.  Tina frowned, following her into the building.  “Don’t.  I’m fine.”  

“You’re not, though…you haven’t been since…”  

Queenie turned around to lock eyes with her sister.  “Can you blame me?”  

Tina shook her head.  She really couldn’t.  Even if Newt was gone to parts unknown, she at least knew he’d sporadically send her mail.  And he remembered her.  She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to see him every day and have him not know who she was.  “I can’t, Queenie.  And I’m sorry…you know that right?  I’m sorry.”  

Queenie nodded her head, reaching for her and pulling her close for a short hug.   

They went their separate ways at the elevator and Tina was chewing over the events of her afternoon all the way up to her floor.    She was quickly snapped out of it though, by the short, sniveling figure waiting at her desk.  

“Where’ve you been, Ms. Goldstein?” Abernathy barked.  

She sighed.  Honestly, she’d hoped to be rid of the slimy little weasel when she became an Auror again.  Unfortunately, he’d been promoted to the Auror Scheduling Department.  Which meant he was technically one of her superiors.  Again.

“Lunch,” she answered stiffly.  

“What?”  

“Lunch,  _ sir. _  You know…the meal between breakfast and dinner?”  

“You didn’t come check out before you left.”  

She closed her eyes for a moment.  He was right.  In her haste and zeal to be with Newt right away, she had forgotten protocol for the second time that day. First the arrest, now this. She really was having an off day.  “I’m sorry, sir…I—”  

“I was looking for you, Ms. Goldstein.  But you didn’t check out.  So do you know what that means?”  

“You couldn’t find me, sir?”  

“I couldn’t FIND you.  And it resulted in a loss of time. Time that I won’t be getting back.”  

“I’m sorry sir, I—”  

“I’m not looking for excuses.  Please come to my office, there’s a rather sensitive matter I need to speak to you about.”  

She followed him solemnly into his office, expecting a dressing down for her two slip-ups today.  What she actually got surprised her.  

Abernathy gestured for her to have a seat, which slid over in front of his desk.  She did, sitting primly on the edge.  

“Do you know why you’re here, Ms. Goldstein?”  

“I—”  

“You’re here because of a problem with your sister.” He spat out the word ‘sister’ like it tasted bad.   

Tina’s eyebrows went straight up.  “With Queenie?”  

“One and the same.”  

She couldn’t think of what Queenie could have done to make Abernathy upset.  Sure, she was a little flighty and absent minded, but she was always on time, always did her job.  In fact, Queenie didn’t even  _ work _ for Abernathy anymore, so Tina was  _ really _ at a loss for words.  “What seems to be the problem with my sister?”  

His eyebrow arched slightly.  He shot her a look of disbelief.  “I think you know, Ms.  Goldstein.  She’s been seen fraternizing with a No-Maj.” 

Tina fought to keep her expression level.  To not give anything away.  “It’s against the law to talk to No-Maj now?  I wasn’t aware of that development.  I buy a hot dog from a No-Maj vendor a few blocks away most days for lunch.  Shouldn’t you be chastising me as well?”  

“You know damn well which No-Maj I’m talking about,” Abernathy hissed.  “Kowalski.  In the bakery.”  

She pressed her lips together in a thin line, biting down before speaking.  “She enjoys his croissants. As do I.  Did you know they were available with chocolate filling, Mr. Abernathy?  We ladies…we love our chocolate, you know.”  

“Look here, Ms. Goldstein.  I don’t want to see you or your sister back at that bakery again.  She’s not to see him again, do you understand?  If his memory is jogged, it could ruin us.”  

“Jacob would never—”  

“No, he won’t ever.  Because you and that sister of yours will stay away from him.  Understand?”  He spoke slowly, as if she were miles beneath his intelligence.  

“No-Maj relations isn’t your department.  Tell the head of No-Maj relations to come talk to me. He’s been obliviated.  It’s not a breach of the Statute of Secrecy to buy things from No-Maj stores.”  

“Kowalski wasn’t obliviated, Ms. Goldstein.  He was…whatever the hell that Scamander fellow did with that bird.  I don’t trust it completely, and neither do most of the wizarding community.”  

Tina was taken aback.  This was news to her.  Honestly, she’d really thought most everyone was on edge because of Grindelwald.  

“And furthermore, I am your  _ superior _ , therefore, you will do as I tell you.  Ma’am.”

Tina set her jaw. “Fine.  But I’m not speaking for my sister.  You’ll have to tell  _ her _ yourself.”  There was no way Tina was going to be the bearer of this level of bad news.  No way, no how.  Not after everything Queenie had gone through.  

“She’s been told before.  Three times, in fact.  It was only after the most recent time that it was decided necessary to inform you.  We operate on a system of checks and balances here.  And if you and your sister want to continue working for MACUSA, you’ll adhere to the system.  Talk to your sister.  I’m entrusting this in your hands.”  

Tina shook her head.  “I won’t.”  

“Then…I suppose it’s time to pack up your things, Ms. Goldstein.”

“My sister is not my subordinate.  What she does on her own time is her own business.”  

“Not when her business threatens our very world and way of life!”  

Tina stood up jarringly, fully prepared to fight this.  All the way to President Picquery if she could.  “I will not be a part of this.” 

She’d gotten as far as the door when Abernathy stopped her.  “Tina, please.  Just…relay the message to her.  It might work better coming from you.  She might listen to you.”  

“I’m not making any promises.  I’ll relay the message.  But that’s all I’m doing…” she rounded back on him, finger extended.  “That’s all.”  

“That’s all I’m asking.  It could turn into a treasonous offense if she’s not careful.”  

Tina swallowed the lump in her throat and stomped out to her desk.  She had a mountain of paperwork to work through, and she couldn’t waste any time crying about this.  

A treasonous offense meant prison at the very least.  At the very most?  Well…Tina shivered when the memories of the Death Cell resurfaced.  She pushed them back down again.  It didn’t matter how much time had passed, her reaction was always the same.  Well, it was worse in the middle of the night, when she woke up screaming, only to have Queenie shush her to sleep again.  She wondered if Newt had a similar problem.  He was all alone, save for his creatures.  She hoped he was dealing with it all better than she was.

And she'd do everything in her power (and then some!) to keep Queenie from having to suffer through anything even remotely similar. Having to listen to Tina's nightmares was bad enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Tina went up the stairs, fully expecting the apartment to be empty.  She’d say she was hoping, but Queenie never got home before her these days, so it was pretty much a given.  She didn’t know where her sister went, only that it was somewhere ‘quiet’.  She was always home long before either of them usually went to bed, so Tina didn’t ask.  Queenie kept so many secrets, it might as well be one of her own this time.    

Tina was so used to coming home to an empty apartment that she really  _ was _ surprised when she opened the door to find Queenie home and tidying up the place.  Not that it had needed it.  Tina was a fine housekeeper, thank you very much.  She might skip some of the corners sometimes, but who was going to notice that?   

She couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of disappointment.  She was hoping to get some thinking done in private before her sister got home.  Some important thinking about what that slimy little Mr. Abernathy had said.  Told.  Decreed.   _ Demanded _ .    

“Sorry, Tina…” Queenie said quietly, setting the table with a flick of her wand.  “I know you don’t like Mr. Abernathy very much…I’m sorry you had to speak with him.”  

“There wasn’t much speaking happening on my end…” Tina groused.  “It was mostly…you know,  _ him. _ ”  

“Still…I’m sorry.”  

“It’s okay, Queenie…” she trailed off.  That was a lie.  Queenie knew it.  She knew it.  “I’m the one who’s sorry…”    

Queenie didn’t answer, she simply pressed her lips together into a line and continued with her tidying.  The broom swept across the floor.  The breakfast dishes, now clean, flew by and into the cupboard.  

“I know that they told you to stop visiting Jacob.”  

She still didn’t answer, the broom started moving more furiously across the floor.   _ Swish-swish.  Swish-swish. _ Angry sweeping.  No matter how hard Tina tried to get Queenie to look her in the eye, she wouldn’t. 

“I know that they told you three times—” Tina continued.    

The broom clattered to the floor as Queenie spun to face her.  “I know, Tina.  I  _ know _ you know.  I know  _ everything _ you know.  Your thoughts are so loud, I could hear them comin’ up the stairs.”  

Tina searched her sister’s face.  There were worry lines in her forehead that she hadn’t seen since they were in school and studying for final exams.  “I’m sorry, Queenie.  I told them I’d talk to you…and PLEASE don’t say—”  

“I KNOW.”  

“You know…” Tina muttered under her breath, turning and unwinding her scarf.  She floated it and her coat over to the hook.  Her hat followed, but fell to the floor with a flop because she simply wasn’t able to concentrate on wordless spells at the moment.  “ _ Wingardium Leviosa _ …” she murmured, watching her hat rise and hang itself on the hook.  

“What do you think I should do?” Queenie asked suddenly.  “I don’t know what to do…I honestly don’t.  But if you think I should stop visiting him, Teeny, I’ll do it in a minute!”    

“Queenie…”  

Her face crumpled. “Oh, Tina, don’t make me stop!”  

Tina sighed heavily.  “I  _ know _ you miss him…I know you do…we all miss him…”  

“I just…even though it’s so hard to go see him everyday — to see his face and know that he doesn’t know me from before — it’d be even harder to stop seeing him altogether.  He knows me now.  Knows me as the blonde girl who really likes his croissants.  What I just can’t understand is why is MACUSA forbidding it? If he’s been obliviated?  Why?  Mr. Abernathy wouldn’t give me an answer.   He just kept repeating himself.”  

“It’s because…” Tina hesitated.  Queenie already knew it.  She was thinking it right now.  

A look of clarity crossed Queenie’s face. “Because they don’t trust Mr. Scamander’s…”  She was interrupted by a loud POP.  

Both of them turned to see Newt standing there between the front windows, very nearly knocking over an end table. Tina glanced up at the clock.  Five thirty on the dot.  “Am I too early?” he asked, taking a small step back and jostling the table.  He reached out to steady it.    

“No, no..we’re…” Tina faltered.  

“We’re just sitting down to rest before dinner…”  Queenie filled in for her.  “Tina’s got a lovely meal planned.”  

Tina froze.  She hadn’t even been thinking about dinner.  She’d been too hung up on this Queenie-Jacob conundrum.  

Queenie came to her rescue. “She’s making a roast…with potatoes and…”  

_ Not carrots, I made those last time. _

“Beans…and she’s baking an apple pie for dessert, right, Teeny?”  

Tina smiled.  “Yes.  That sounds…just like what I was planning!” 

Queenie walked over to sit down at the table.  She moved smoothly, like she was made out of silk.  Tina had always felt bulky and awkward next to her.  And never more than right now.  They were like a study in opposites, she and Queenie.  How two people could grow up in the same way and turn out so strikingly different.  

Tina almost tripped over the chair leg as she sat down. Somehow.  She’d never been clumsy a day in her life, but when she wanted to cross the floor and not look like a lumbering oaf, of course she tripped over a chair leg.  Of the chair she was attempting to sit in.  

It made a huge racket, of course. Thumping and scraping. 

Newt removed his coat; it floated over to a hook on the wall.  He took a seat beside her and across from Queenie.  If he’d noticed her little…balancing difficulty, he didn’t let on.  

Queenie turned towards him, folding her hands in front of her. “So…Mr. Scamander…I hope you don’t mind my asking you bluntly…” He looked scared for a moment before she continued.  Tina shot her a harsh look.  “What exactly can you tell me about that…blue stuff you put in the rain?”  

He blinked a couple of times, looking thoroughly relieved for whatever reason.  “Oh the venom? From the Swooping Evil? What would you like to know?” He leaned back in the chair, looking decidedly more comfortable when speaking about his area of expertise.    

“Is it permanent?  Does it erase or just jumble the memory?  Is there any reason to think that someone’s memory might return to them?”  

Realization dawned on Newt’s face.  “It um…as far as I can tell, it’s fairly permanent.  I’m not sure if it erases or simply…jumbles the memory, because I haven’t been able to speak with anyone to whom it was administered in the way we administered it to the muggles of New York City last year.  I can say with all certainty that those who are bitten by the swooping evil generally don’t live to tell the tale.  But, when properly diluted, it works rather well at dispelling bad memories.”  

Queenie turned towards Tina.  “Can’t we just have Mr. Scamander come in to MACUSA and tell them that? Tell them it works like a memory potion?”  

Newt frowned, glancing worriedly over to Tina, who was fairly certain her jaw had come unhinged, with the way it was hanging wide open and all. She closed her mouth and attempted to compose herself.  “Queenie, this is private matter…” she hissed.  

“It’s not either!” Queenie jerked her head over towards Newt.  “Mr. Scamander was the one who administered the blue liquidy…” she turned towards him for confirmation.  

“Swooping Evil…” he coached.  

“Blue liquidy Swooping Evil…stuff,” Queenie finished.  

Tina bit down on both her lips to keep from spouting off at the mouth as she was prone to do when someone backed her into a corner.  “Queenie.  This  _ is _ a private matter when it concerns…what it concerns…”  

“What it concerns…” her sister began.  “Are a bunch of government high-and-mighties who got a scare last year and now are trying to keep magical folks from being around no-majs at all. It’s ridiculous.  It’s almost like we’re living in colonial times again.  It’s Puritanical, is what it is… _ ridiculous _ .  Newt agrees with me.”  

He sputtered a little when Tina looked at him.  She sighed.  “I know it’s ridiculous, Queenie.  But it’s the law. And you saw what happened to us when we…when we crossed the Statute of Secrecy…” she trailed off, swallowing thickly before looking back up at the two other people at the table.  “I don’t want that to happen to you. I won’t let that happen to you.”  

Queenie’s expression softened.  She reached across the table to cover Tina’s hand with her own. “Tina, that  _ wasn’t _ MACUSA.  That was Grindelwald…Grindelwald had polyjuiced Graves and—”

Tina shook her head.  “It wasn’t just Grindelwald, Queenie.  There were others who followed his orders.  Without blinking.  They knew me. But it didn’t matter.   _ I _ didn’t matter.   Some of them worked with me for  _ years _ and they still…”  she bit down on her lip even harder, standing up to walk away.  Her mind raced to find something to do.  Anything.  The room was too small. They were staring at her.  

Dinner.  She could make dinner.  

She pulled out her wand, flicking it to open the cook book. 

* * *

 

Newt had to repress the urge to hug Tina.  His arms ached at his sides with the effort.  It wouldn’t be prudent to do something so intimate in front of her sister, though.  And judging by Tina’s body language, she wasn’t going to be very open or accepting of physical intimacies right now.  

He watched her prepare the roast, watched Queenie as she studied Tina’s back.  She could probably see the tightness in her shoulders just the same as he could.  

“Yes, I see that too…” Queenie murmured before standing up.  

The food floated down to the serving plates as did a pitcher of water.  

“I think you should, though.”  

“Should what?”  

She shot him a look as if to say, ‘You know exactly what.’  

_ She’s cooking dinner…you’re here…it’s not the right time?  _ He caught her gaze again, shrugging slightly.  

Queenie sighed and quietly excused herself, walking down the hall to the bathroom and closing the door loudly.  

Tina turned, flopping the apple pie down on the table.  As soon as she did the crust deflated and cracked apart.  She swore under her breath, her shoulders slumping slightly.  

Newt summoned all his courage and stood, taking a few steps around to the other side of the table where Tina stood.  He gathered her up in his arms, wrapping them around her tightly. He felt her arms snake up around his neck. “I prefer crumbles to pies anyway,” he mumbled into her hair.  

It hadn’t been what he’d meant to say.  He’d meant to say something supportive.  Something that conveyed that he was here for her.  That he had her.  He always had her.  He’d catch her.  Always.  That if she wasn’t feeling comfortable at her job, then he’d be more than happy to help her find something somewhere else.  He didn’t have a lot of pull anywhere but at the British Ministry, but maybe now that his book was out and selling rather well…he could put in a good word somewhere or another for her?  

But no.  He’d gone and mucked everything up.  Said something about the bloody  _ pie _ .  

He felt her shoulders shaking and he pulled back, certain he’d ruined everything  _ and _ made her cry on top of it.  But she wasn’t crying.  She was laughing.  There were tears.  But she was laughing.  

“You prefer…CRUMBLES!” She giggled, grinning widely and looking more and more beautiful by the second.  “I’m glad you prefer crumbles because that’s all it is!”  She glanced down at the pie, the smile freezing for a second on her face before it began to fall.    

He reached for her automatically, his hand freezing there in her hair. The other was still around her waist, his palm open and pressed against her lower back.  She was so soft. So warm.  

There was that scent he recognized the day before.  The scent that was rapidly becoming synonymous with  _ Tina _ in his mind.   

His thumb stroked along her temple, tracing her hairline.  “I prefer…I prefer  _ you _ , Ms. Goldstein.  I prefer you and anything that comes along with you.” 

Her eyes held his gaze.  Where he never really liked looking people in the eyes before, he couldn’t tear his from hers if he tried.  Warm brown with flecks of amber…they captivated him.  So close and yet so far away.  He wanted to be closer to her.  As close as he could possibly…

When his lips touched hers, his heart leapt into his throat, beating so loudly he was certain she could hear it.  She clutched at him, her fingers closing around his lapels and holding him firmly in place.  

Her lips were soft, and yet firm as well. They pulled back delightfully at his as he moved, the sound softly popped in the quiet stillness of the world around them.  He tilted his head when she did, opening his mouth just slightly.  

She made a sound, a small sound, in the back of her throat.  It made his skin tingle and his heart leap and he wanted to hear it again.  To commit it to memory.  Such a soft sound, so quiet...and in that moment it was everything.  

Of course, it was inevitable that the bathroom door should open again. They leapt back from each other.  He quickly rounded the table to sit down and Tina remained standing, leaning against the chair across from him, her fingers brushing against her bottom lip.  She flashed him a small smile and he instantly felt warm again.  

Queenie must have known what they’d been doing -- his thoughts were probably screaming it -- but she didn’t let on.  She simply took her seat and picked up her fork.  

The meal was absolutely horrendous.  But again, he ate two helpings of everything.  It was worth the mind-boggling amount of salt to see that look on her face.  

Honestly, though…there was an absolute ridiculous amount of salt on this food.  He kept having to wet his lips at the rim of his water glass. Queenie was gazing at hers longingly, a piece of the roast on the end of her fork, poised halfway to her mouth.  Almost as if she wanted to dunk it in the water first before attempting to eat it.  

_ That might not be a bad idea _ , Newt thought briefly before putting it out of his mind.  It was rude.  And if there was anything he never wanted to be to Tina Goldstein again, it was rude.      

The pie crust was an absolute lost cause.  It became apparent that the bottom crust hadn’t fared any better than the top one when Queenie attempted to cut it and everything sort of…settled. 

Tina burst into a fit of laughter again.  “It’s not a pie, Queenie, it’s a CRUMBLE.”  

“If that’s what you’re going to call it…I’d say the shoe fits.”

They ended up eating it out of the pie dish with spoons.  It tasted good.  Tina somehow got the taste down for desserts.  Even if the infrastructure of the thing didn’t really hold up.  

“Tapioca. I forgot the tapioca…”  Tina said after the fourth spoonful of runny apple “crumble”.  “It’s always something.”  

* * *

 

Jacob sighed and finally switched the open sign to closed.  The sun was going down and he had to move all the leftover merchandise to the day-old baskets in the back.  Then it was a quick dinner and off to bed.  One of the hardest things about owning a bakery was the hours.  He had to get up at three a.m in order to have the early morning pastries done by the time people were walking to work.  In order to have the freshest bread baking in the oven and still warm by the time the housewives started coming in around nine to do their grocery shopping.  

He dumped the last few chocolate filled croissants into the basket. He kept it all in the back here for anyone who happened to come up to the back door hungry. His supply was never enough to meet the demand, but he tried.   

He plucked out one of the pastries, plus a long baguette.  The chocolate filled croissant made him think of that nice blonde lady.  She hadn’t come by today.  The whole day had felt strangely empty without her.  

He’d always call her that in his mind — That Nice Blonde Lady.  At least until whenever she decided to tell him her name.  She always seemed to skirt the question, never really answering him and usually leaving him with even more questions than he had about her than before.  She was beautiful, he knew that much.  Too beautiful for the likes of him.  

Didn’t stop him from admiring her though.  Nobody ever accused him of being a saint.  

Beauty like that…didn’t come around very often.  

He opened the top part of the back door.  Dutch doors.  Just like his grandma used to have.  Good grief, he couldn’t believe this was all his sometimes.  

He poked his head out into the back alley, looking for her.  The little girl.  Modesty, she said her name was.  Kind of puritanical, but who was he to judge?  “Are you out here?” he called.  

She always came around closing time.  Usually beating the crowds of the unfortunate that came up early in the morning when he was baking.  

“Yes…” came the tiny reply.  

“Doesn’t your mother ever bathe you, kid?” Jacob handed her the baguette.  She looked puzzled when he handed her the croissant too.  “Chocolate filled.  Knock yourself out.”  

He got the feeling she was homeless.  It was a shame…little kid like that…all on her own.  She never stayed long enough for him to grill her for answers, though.  And she was smart.  Refused to come inside.  Preferred to do her business in the alley.  Street smarts at such a young age.  He wouldn’t have trusted him either.  Not that he was a bad guy, but she didn’t know him from Adam.  

She’d shown up a few weeks after he opened, knocking on the back door after closing and asking how much for a loaf of the day old bread.  He’d shrugged, handed her one of that day’s baguettes and told her it was no charge.  “Don’t go telling everyone about this though…can’t feed the whole neighborhood.” (She obviously had, but he wasn’t upset about it)  She’d come back every Tuesday and Friday since.  He usually tried to give her the biggest loaf he had.  It had never occurred to him before today that she might like the sweets too.  

It couldn’t be the most nutritious thing in the world, but it was better than nothing.  

“Thanks, Mister!” she called over her shoulder, running off with the bread and the croissant.  

Jacob closed and locked the door, saying a silent prayer of safety for her.  Safety for Modesty.   

And for That Nice Blonde Lady too.     


	4. Chapter 4

**Queenie**

“Okay…I’m coming with you…to help you find your Niffler,” Tina pointed authoritatively at Newt.  Queenie couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of that sentence.  “Queenie, you stay here with Jacob—”  

“And my manuscript…” Newt interjected.  

“And gather up these papers…don’t let any of them float away.”    

Newt gazed at Tina like he was witnessing her hang the stars in the sky.  If things weren’t so completely off-kilter and catastrophically messy right now, she might have taken the time to appreciate the beauty of a person falling in love, but things  _ were _ kind of messy right then.  So it would have to wait.  

Newt and Tina took off in the direction of the Niffler, and Queenie was left wondering how in Mercy Lewis’ name they’d ended up  _ here _ after the positively serene Saturday morning they’d had.  Everything had started out normally.  How did they end up here?  

She surveyed the scene around them.  Newt’s manuscript pages fluttering all over the sidewalk from the ‘Muggle safe’ part of his suitcase.  Jacob was standing there, flabbergasted, his mind a cacophony of thoughts.  For some reason Newt and he kept running into each other.  Literally.  

She sighed and shook her head.    

\----------

She’d left Tina soon after breakfast that morning.  As much as she loved her sister, and as much as she wanted things with Mr. Scamander to work out for her, she didn’t really want a full on run down of each of their kisses in excruciating detail.   She was having a hard time blocking things lately.  

So, she’d washed her coffee mug and put on her coat.  She took her purse from the hook and called out a quick goodbye to Tina.  

“Wait…Queenie…I was wondering if you’d like to go to lunch with Newt and I later on…”  Tina ducked her head out of the bathroom just as Queenie was walking to the door.  

“Of course, honey.  I’m just going out for the morning, okay?”  

“Okay.  Be careful.”  

“I will. I always am.”  Queenie had to laugh, because if that wasn’t Tina in a nutshell.   _ “Be careful, Queenie.” _   It almost felt like they’d been doing this dance for their entire lives.  Especially since their parents had died.  Tina had assumed the role of head of household, and had done everything to ensure that Queenie had the childhood she deserved.  She’d kept her safe, protected her.  Had even taken on a career of protecting those weaker than her because of it.  Tina would never admit it, but Queenie knew.  She’d seen it time and again.  Especially with those Barebone children.  Tina saw herself and Queenie in all those she protected.  It was her job to protect.  She was a giver.  

Tina was  _ such _ a giver.   

Which was why it was so nice to see her doing something for herself for once.  

And there wasn’t a man Queenie had ever met who was more deserving of Tina.  He was gentle and loving, but he’d take care of her.  As much as Tina would take care of him, he’d take of her too.  

And her sister — her Teeny — no matter what she tried to say to the contrary, was in desperate need of someone who would take care of her.  Queenie tried.  She really did try to take care of her. She was better at comforting though, not protecting.  So that’s how she took care of Tina.  

She held her when she cried.  

When she cried about getting demoted. And more recently (and often), about her nightmares.  About not being able to find that last surviving Barebone child.  About how she’d looked everywhere and that child had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.  About how it killed her to not know.  

That one hurt the most, because Queenie knew  _ exactly _ where Modesty Barebone was.  Well, she knew where she was some of the time.  It was actually where she was headed right now.  

The New York City Public Library.  Queenie had originally come in for quiet.  There were still thoughts,  _ obviously _ there were still thoughts in a library.  But they were much more constructed than the average person’s train of thought.  Less rambling.  More structure.  People were reading.  It was calming.  Monotonous.  Something she could easily tune out.  

She’d originally come for the quiet, but she kept coming back for Modesty’s sake.  

The library was  _ always _ warm.  And it was  _ always _ open during daylight hours.  And Modesty was  _ always _ there

Queenie brought her food.  Cheese and apples.  Cold sandwiches.    

She’d drop them off on a shelf near Modesty’s usual spot: tucked between two shelves in the  children’s section, simply devouring books on anything she found interesting.  

Which Queenie had noticed as of late, included witches and wizards.  

There weren’t many books on witches or wizards in the library.  And what few there were, mostly pertained to historical accounts of the Salem witchcraft trials, or European witchcraft trials.  There simply wasn’t a lot of information in the No-Maj library.  Which was how MACUSA liked it.    

When Queenie arrived that morning, she found Modesty just where she thought she’d be.  Her thoughts were full of images of burning witches and hanging witches.  But accompanying those thoughts were feelings of remorse.  Sadness.  

And like always, her thoughts cried out for her brother.   

Queenie longed to hold her.  To wrap her arms around her little shoulders and tell her it was okay.  That it was okay to cry and to feel those feelings. That witches and wizards were real.  That she wasn’t a bad person for wanting to know more about them.  

But she didn’t.  She couldn’t.  There wasn’t anything she could tell her unless she displayed characteristics of being a witch herself.  Queenie had her suspicions on the subject, however.  

Modesty had started lately, to come sit near Queenie whenever she came in.  Queenie would drop off her food and go sit at a table, choosing a No-Maj magazine or a novel of some kind to go sit down and read while she passed the time. 

And without fail, she’d have a little companion at her table before long.  The food she’d given her was tucked into one of the many layers of clothing she wore.  And she’d plop her books down on the table and take a seat.  

Today was no different. 

Modesty brought a pile of books and sat down across from Queenie.  The girl’s thoughts immediately shifted from whatever she was thinking of to the exact passages of text she was reading.  Nothing more.  No inner commentary on the text.  Just straightforward reading.  

_ This _ was what had really clued Queenie into Modesty’s possible magic powers.  She was blocking her thoughts.  _ Occlumency _ . That was something even  _ Tina _ couldn’t do.  And this was obviously blocking. Queenie could tell the difference between an empty head and blocked thoughts.  How else could there be no other thoughts in her head?  

She wanted to be sure before she told Tina, but she was fairly certain that this child was a witch.  And a powerful one at that.  

\----------

**Newt**

Newt sighed in exasperation as he watched his Niffler dart in and out of hiding places, looking for shiny things to stuff into his pouch.  Tina stealthily accioed every single thing he took, returning it to its rightful owners with a discreet flick of her wand.  

She really was a vision this afternoon.  The sun in her hair and the wind blowing softly.  Her hair framed her face just beautifully.  

She stifled a yelp as the dastardly little thief jumped up onto the hand rail of the bridge.  She shot Newt a worried look as they dashed towards him.  

Newt’s morning had been much less complicated than whatever his afternoon was turning into.  

\----------

He’d left the Goldstein sisters’ apartment very, very reluctantly the night before.  He knew it wasn’t proper to stay under the same roof as the woman one was courting, but it didn’t make it any easier to leave.  

Especially with the goodbye kisses Tina had bestowed upon him when he left.  Her lips were just as soft as they had been the first time.  Of course, they’d had to make them brief.  No matter how much either of them wanted to drag this out, he couldn’t just sit there and kiss Tina for the whole night.  

_ The whole night… _

The thought of how they’d get on for a whole night was enough to make him blush crimson, and that wasn’t something he needed to be thinking about at that moment.  

So, he’d said his goodbyes to Tina and Queenie, apparating out of their apartment and down into the alley beside their building.  He emerged, suitcase in hand as he walked back to the hotel where he was staying.  There was a certain spring in his step that wasn’t there before seeing Tina, but it took little guessing to figure out why.  

He’d slept poorly, awakened twice in the night by the baying of the moon calves, who were well into their mating season, which led him to cast a muffling charm outside his room.  He’d expanded the cabin just a bit while he’d been back in London.  He assumed, that once he came back to America, he’d be having some visitors, and it simply wouldn’t do to invite them into the room where his bed was.  So, he’d moved some walls, extending some of them into a cozy, if rather snug, bedroom.  

As it was, he cast the muffling charm outside his door and it helped tremendously with the noise.  He stayed up a little longer with thoughts of his lovely Tina dancing through his mind, but he drifted off to sleep soon enough.  

He awoke the next morning and fed his creatures, climbing out of his suitcase just in time to hear the knocking at his hotel room door.  

He opened it, surprised to see Tina there.  He smiled, and was about to say hello when she stepped forward into his room, pressing her lips to his and shutting the door behind her. 

“Tina?”  He wasn’t about to stop her if this was how she wanted to spend their morning, but he hadn’t even eaten breakfast and here she was kissing him silly.  

“I’m sorry…” She stopped immediately, wiping her mouth and taking a step back from him.  “I had promised myself I wasn’t going to do that…”  She pressed both of her lips together in a thin line.  “I’m sorry…” she apologized again.  

He took a deep breath.  “First of all, never feel you have to apologize for that…if anything, I should be apologizing to you for not opening the door sooner.  Or perhaps, not simply sleeping by the door to wait for you to come here and…do that.”  

She laughed, her smile immediately brightening up her face.  “I meant to ask you if you’d like to go get breakfast with me…and then, I proceeded to attack you before I got the words out…”  

“If it was an attack, I assure you, it was well hidden…it felt nothing like any attack I’ve ever endured…”  

She laughed again and Newt, in that moment, could think of nothing he’d rather do that make this woman smile and laugh.

Their breakfast was uneventful.   Food was consumed.  He wasn’t even sure exactly what he’d ordered, he was too busy listening to Tina talk about work to think about it, so he just ordered what she’d chosen.  

“You like omelets, Mr. Scamander?”  

He did indeed like omelets.  But that wasn’t what he said to her.  No, he said something along the lines of, “I think you can call me Newt, now.”  

And her smile spread into the most beautiful grin he’d ever seen.  “Of course, I just — it’s a habit…”  

He took a sip of the tea he’d ordered and had to stifle the urge to grimace.  He’d discovered, over the course of his stay, that it possibly wasn’t  _ Tina’s _ fault that the tea she’s made him was bitter and over-steeped.  It was likely just an American affliction.  He didn’t really blame them for not liking the stuff much after their last ‘tea party’, but honestly, this was ridiculous.

“If you like omelets, then—” she snapped her mouth shut, her face reddening slightly.  

“Then what?”  he asked, placing his horrendous tea back on the saucer and giving it a slight push towards the center of the table.  

“I…I was getting ahead of myself…” she said with a shy smile.  “I was just thinking aloud…maybe I could learn to make them?  I’m aware that I’m probably not the best cook.  Definitely not as good as Queenie…that’s for sure…” she took a deep breath.  “But I am thankful that you are being patient with me.  I’ve never been interested in learning before…before…before I had someone to cook for.”  

Someone to cook for.   _ He _ was someone to cook for.  

“I…actually cook a little for myself.  Have to, what with being alone and all…” he chuckled.  “I’m not very good either.  Maybe we could…learn together?”  

Or at the very least, they could mix their food together.  He was notorious for under seasoning, so maybe mixed together, the food could be edible.  

“I’d like that very much.  Newt.”  

After breakfast, they went for a walk in the park.  His hand found its way into hers once more, his thumb stroking the back of her hand while they strolled along the sidewalks.  It was around the same time he’d arrived the previous year, so some locations held distinct memories.  Such as chasing Jacob and his erumpet through the zoo and across a frozen lake.  

Newt was thinking a lot of things.  Many, many thoughts.  About how he was going to do without this woman once he had to leave again.  His ministry leave would be up at the end of two weeks, not counting the 3 day trip back across the pond. And he’d already spent three days here, growing closer and closer to a woman he was going to have to leave again.   

“What are your plans, Tina?” he asked, tilting his head so he could somewhat see her face as they walked.  

“Well, I thought we’d have lunch with Queenie…” she began, swinging his hand slightly.  “If that is alright with you?”  

“No that…” he paused, realizing that it had likely sounded like a rejection, so he quickly backtracked.  “What I meant to say was…that sounds lovely.  I do so enjoy spending time with you and your sister…but my question mostly pertained to a more…distant future?”  

“Oh…” her perfect little mouth made an ‘o’ shape as her lips formed the word.  “I…I don’t…I don’t know that I know the answer to that.”  

“Don’t you?  I thought you liked to plan things, Tina?”  It was the impression he’d gotten from her.  He’d rather been hoping she’d have the entirety of their lives planned out so that he wouldn’t need to worry about it.  Surprises were nice too, though.  

“I do…or I did?” She blushed and looked down at the sidewalk . “Until I met you, all I wanted was to be able to plan my entire life down to the second…”  

“Now what do you want?”  

“I want…many things.  I want to help people.  No-maj or witch or wizard…I want to spend more time with those I admire…” Her eyes flitted over to him when she said the last part.  “I want a full life.  I want adventure.  I want to be surprised.”

“Surprises are very nice.”  

“They are,” she agreed.  “You were my favorite surprise, Newt.”  

“And you are mine,” he said definitely.  He blushed once he realized what he’d said.  “No, I meant…surprises, you’re my favorite surprise as well….”

“I’d like very much to be yours…”  

His mouth went completely dry unfortunately, so he was only able to rasp out a reply.  “I’m honored to be  _ yours _ , Tina.” 

\----------

**Tina**

She didn’t really know what to think…she just saw Newt’s Niffler going over the edge of the bridge and she knew if he went over, they’d have a hell of a time trying to find him again. Not to mention how upset Newt would be. So over she went too.  

Her hand grasped the Niffler’s fur and she held tight, jerked back abruptly by Newt’s hand on her arm.  She must have made quite the sight, leaning at a forty-five degree angle over the side of the bridge, holding tight to a Niffler as Newt pulled her back over the edge.  

“Are you alright?”  Newt exclaimed.  

“He’s fine…” she assured him, holding the Niffler up in the air. 

“I was talking about  _ you _ , Tina…are  _ you _ alright?” 

She grinned.  “I’m fine.  I got him.”  

“You certainly did.”  

\----------

Lunch was about as uneventful as breakfast had been.  They ate and paid their bill.  It was shaping up to be a very nice Saturday.  

Even if there were a large number of picketers today.  Waving signs and making all sorts of racket.  As Tina understood it, the No-Maj were losing their jobs left and right.  It was certainly a protest-worthy predicament.  Didn’t seem to be their fault, more the fault of the employers.  Not enough gold to back up their money.  Which, didn’t really make sense to her.  But then again…No-maj didn’t make a lot of sense to her either.  

She really should have seen it coming.  Trouble seemed to follow Newt Scamander.  And it really seemed to follow Jacob Kowalski.  And when both of them were in the same vicinity?  

It was chaos.  

Queenie saw Jacob first.  He was walking down the sidewalk just outside the window of the restaurant where they were eating.  Walking towards the bank, it appeared.  

She coughed, sputtering on her glass of lemonade.  Her foot moved, slid across the floor, kicking Newt’s suitcase.  She apologized profusely even though no one was blaming her for anything.    

Tina spied the black hair of Newt’s Niffler dart out from the suitcase, running underneath another restaurant patron’s chair.  She tugged on Newt’s sleeve, jutting her chin towards the little troublemaker as he disappeared into some woman’s purse.  

She knew better than to wonder if it was possible for Newt to leave his creatures in his hotel room, but the thought crossed her mind nonetheless.  It crossed and promptly left again.  She knew he’d just as soon walk out completely nude in public than to abandon his creatures.  

He was up immediately, making like he was going to walk to the bathroom, but instead, he was not-so-discreetly looking under chairs.  People were starting to stare, so Tina knew she was going to have to step in.  The last thing they needed was another security breach.  

She fished around for her wallet, handing it to Queenie.  “Pay for this, meet us outside…”  Her eyes widened as she watched Newt dive under a chair to retrieve the Niffler.  No one had noticed, miraculously.  But if he kept shaking the poor thing like that, they were.  

Tina darted over to where Newt was kneeling, pulling him up to a standing position, she put her arm around his shoulder as he cradled the Niffler under his coat.  She led him outside, where he immediately started looking for a place to open his case and stuff the Niffler back inside.  

It made a squeaky sound of distress inside his coat.  Tina frowned and looked down at the lump in his coat. 

Newt shook his head.  “Those are squeaks of deceit.  He’s fine.” 

It was at that moment, Queenie chose to rejoin them, with Newt’s suitcase.  And of course, Jacob was now on his return walk from the bank.  Newt turned abruptly, crashing directly into Jacob’s chest.  Queenie, in turn, ran into Newt’s back.  

It was as if the whole scene was happening in slow motion.  Newt’s suitcase went flying.  The faulty locks popped open and soon the ground and air were littered with sheets of paper.  Newt, startled, let the Niffler fly out of his arms. Jacob stumbled backwards, frowning.  

Tina sighed and reached for Newt’s collar, effectively keeping him from falling into a pile of limbs on the ground.  

“Oh bugger…” Newt swore under his breath and looked down at his case. “Why was it on the Muggle setting?”  

“I thought it would keep the others from getting out?” Queenie looked positively stricken.  

“Hey listen…I’m getting pretty sick of people running into me all the t—” Jacob stopped abruptly.  “Blonde lady?”  

A sheet of paper fluttered down against his chest.  He grabbed it.  

Tina quickly turned towards Newt.  “Okay…I’m coming with you…to help you find your Niffler.” She turned towards Queenie, “Queenie, you stay here with Jacob—”  

“And my manuscript…” Newt added. 

“And gather up these papers…don’t let any of them float away.”   

\----------

**Jacob**

“ _ Queenie, you stay here with Jacob…” _

He was still holding that single sheet of paper in his hand as he blinked down at the blonde on the sidewalk in front of him, haphazardly scooping papers into the open case to her right.  He knew, in the back of his mind, that he should be helping her, but he couldn’t make his hands obey his brain.  He felt foggy.  Everything felt fuzzy…his hearing was off.  Everything sounded like it was underwater or something.  Like he’d dunked his head in a sink-full of ice water.  

The dark-haired woman knew his name.  He did  _ not _ know the dark-haired woman.  He didn’t think he knew her anyway.  He couldn’t place her face.  But he was getting a strange feeling of deja-vu when he looked at her.  Same as the blonde.  

He didn’t know her, but the dark-haired woman knew him. 

His life came back into focus with a roar and he knelt immediately to help Blonde Lady.  Queenie, her name was.  

Queenie.  It was beautiful, just like her. 

She’d already gotten all the papers, save the one he had clutched in his hand still.  She was already closing the case.  He didn’t think he’d been out of it for that long.  A few seconds maybe?  He might have gotten it wrong.    

He offered his hand to help her stand.  “Say…how did your friend know my name?  And you’re Queenie?  That’s pretty...suits you…” 

She smiled, one of those wide smiles that just lit up her whole face.  Jacob knew he was staring at her with stars in his eyes, but he couldn’t help it.  “Thanks, honey.  And I don’t know how she knows your name…maybe you told her at the bakery?”  

The dark-haired woman hadn’t ever come into the bakery.  Not that he could recollect.  “No, that can’t be it…”   _ Maybe she works at the bank? _

“She works at the bank,” Queenie said immediately.  “She’s a teller.”  

“Oh, maybe that’s it, then…”  

“Can I have that please?”  She pointed to the paper he was clutching.  

“Oh yeah…sure…” He glanced down at it as he held it out.  His eyes widened.  “What the…?”  He squinted, yanking it back from Queenie as he read the notes on it.  Looked at the drawing.  “An erumpet?”  He looked up at her, searching her face.  “What is this?”  

She shrugged and reached for it again.  “It’s nothin’…just sketches or something for a book…”  

He pulled it back out of her grasp.  “These are real?  I’ve been having dreams about running from one of these things and I thought it was just something my brain came up with…but it’s real? It’s…real?  The erumpet?”  

“It’s just sketches…” she repeated, reaching for it again.  “I need to return it to Mr…” she trailed off.  

“Mr.  Scamander?” he asked, unsure of where the name came from. It had just come to him.  Like ‘Scamander’ was a word he said on the regular.  “Newt Scamander and his erumpet?  It ran through Central Park…the occamies…I fed the moon calves…Madone…I need to sit down…”  

Queenie led him over to a bench, sitting down on the other side of him, she reached for his hand.  “Mr. Kowalski…Jacob…”  

“Queenie…” He turned to face her, his smile spreading across his face.  “I remember you…out of all that magical stuff…you were the only part of it that felt too good to be true.”  

“Jacob…” She pressed her lips together and squeezed his hand.  “Jacob, I have to obliviate you.”  

“No, don’t…don’t do that…not yet, Queenie…just…gimme till the end of the day…”  

“I can’t…I’m already in trouble for coming to see you before…at the bakery? MACUSA don’t like it…”  

“Seeing you was always the best part of my day, doll.” He was sorry she got in trouble for it, but he wasn’t lying.  She really was the best part of his day.   

She pressed her lips together, looking around. “Just pretend to be disoriented for a few minutes and then meet me at my apartment in an hour.  Do you remember how to get there?”  

“Yes.”

“Okay.  I’ll have to obliviate you eventually, but for now…”  She pulled out her wand.  “Cohabitate…” she murmured.  Nothing happened, but Jacob had the good sense to appear dazed.  

Queenie squeezed his arm as she rose, taking the suitcase and walking down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment.  

He counted to five hundred slowly, staring straight ahead for a few minutes.  And then he got up and staggered off in the opposite direction.  He had an hour to kill, so he figured that he could walk around in a daze for a little bit, just to throw whoever might have been watching Queenie off the scent.  

Jacob was concentrating so hard on looking dazed and confused, that he left the sheet of Mr. Scamander’s manuscript laying there on the bench where he’d been sitting.  And he certainly didn’t notice the little girl run up and grab it.  

And since he didn’t notice the little girl, he didn’t notice that he recognized her.  Didn’t recognize her as the little one who came up to the back door of his bakery to beg for day-olds.  Didn’t recognize her as Modesty.    

He definitely didn’t see her run off with the sheet of paper clutched close to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world.  

Nope.  He’d wish he had, though.    
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Modesty**

* * *

 

Modesty unlocked the hen door on the henhouse, crawling inside.  The hens clucked at her, like they didn’t trust her not to gobble them all up like some big bad wolf. But when she didn’t gobble any of them, their squawking died out.

The smell of the henhouse didn’t even bother her anymore.  It used to, back when she’d first left Mother.  But she didn’t like thinking about that.  

About Credence.  Chastity.  

It hurt too much.  

And after that mean man had come for her in her old home, she knew it wasn’t safe to hide out there anymore either.  

She still had nightmares about him.  She didn’t like the things she saw in his eyes.  It was why she started building up the walls.  Brick by brick in her mind, she built up a safe place so he couldn’t ever get in. 

Modesty only wished she’d started doing it before.  When Mother used to glare down at her and see through all the lies she didn’t even know she was telling.  

She must have been telling some kind of lies, though.  If Mother could get that angry at her for them.  

Modesty hadn’t felt anyone poke at the bricks.  Unless you counted that nice blonde lady she saw at the library.  Well, she at least seemed nice.  She always brought her food.  

Sighing, she leaned back against a bare wall, the chickens finally settling down and forgetting she was even here. If she sat there long enough, maybe SHE would forget she was even there.  That was the best.  When she could pretend she was somewhere warm. 

She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of the stale bread she’d gotten from Mr. Kowalski.  He hadn’t been at his bakery that afternoon.  She supposed she could maybe go try again the following morning.  

She’d already eaten the apple and the cheese from the blonde lady.  She probably should have tried to save some of it..  But it was okay.  She had bread.  Even if it was a little bit crunchy and dry.  

She reached into her bag once more and pulled out the sheet of paper she’d nicked from the bench that afternoon.  She wasn’t sure what that man with the suitcase did, but he was with the blonde lady.  And Mr. Kowalski.  So he was interesting to her.  

She unfolded the paper, holding it into the moonlight for a better view.  She’d looked at it earlier before she’d run off from the restaurant.  But she still didn’t know what it was.  The pictures looked like something out of those books at the library.  The ones in about dragons and magic.  The one on the front looked sorta like the hippopotamus they had at the zoo in Central Park.  Maybe she could go look at the hippo tomorrow.  

She turned it over to look at the drawing on the back.  A cockatrice, according to the writing underneath  

She glanced up at the hens all around her.  It looked kind of like them.  But also like a dragon.  A dragon-chicken.  

Modesty smiled. A tiny chicken dragon.

* * *

 

**Tina**

* * *

 

Tina’s hand was clasped tightly in Newt’s, she kissed him chastely on the cheek before walking back up her front stoop on her own.  Just in case Ms. Esposito was watching.  

Newt was to walk around the corner and apparate up into the apartment. 

She opened the front door, hearing her landlady call out her name.  

“Tina Goldstein!  Is that you?”  

“It’s me.”  

“Are you alone?”  

“I’m always alone, Ms. Esposito.”  

She smiled to herself as she pulled out her key, sticking it in the lock and pushing the door of her apartment open.  She walked inside, still smiling and expecting to see Newt on the other side.  

But what she saw… was  _ definitely _ one more person than she’d been expecting.  

Newt was there.  As was Queenie.  

But  _ Jacob _ was also there.  

Jacob Kowalski.  

Her mouth fell open.  “Queenie, what is he doing here?”

Queenie’s hands came up in front of her.  “Now Teeny…”  

“Don’t ‘now Teeny’ me!  This ain’t no stray cat, Queenie.  He’s… he’s a no-Maj!   You heard what they said they’d do if his memory was jogged!  And now you’ve brought him here!?”  Tina let her hands fall to her sides. “Queenie…” 

“Tina, it’s nothing…  I wouldn’t ever tell anyone…” Jacob began.  

“I know you wouldn’t!” she replied.  Tears were gathering in her eyes, so she turned away from them both.  “We just… we ain’t even allowed to go to your bakery anymore, Mr. Kowalski.”

A pair of hands squeezed her shoulders.  Newt’s.  She reached up to cover one with her own. “Tina…” he whispered.  “Do you want to leave the room for a moment?”  

“No, I’m fine, I--”  

“It’s just… I need to go feed my creatures… I thought maybe…”

Tina sighed.  “Perhaps Jacob would rather?”  She sent a small smile in Jacob’s direction.  This wasn’t his fault.  

It wasn’t Queenie’s either.  

Well.  Maybe it was a little bit Queenie’s.  She  _ should _ have obliviated him.  But Tina supposed if it was in Queenie’s position herself and Newt was the one whose memory she’d have to erase, she wouldn't be too keen on doing it either.    

“Oh, I’d love to… Mr. Scamander, that’s--”  Jacob stammered.

Newt smiled in that crooked way he had.  “I believe you can call me Newt now, Jacob.”  He placed his case down on the floor and opened it, stepping inside.  “Come.  The mooncalves have missed you.”    

They watched as Newt disappeared into the case, and Jacob behind him.  Tina wished she’d been the one to go with him, but she knew she needed to talk to her sister.  This couldn't be put off.  

They waited until Jacob was gone before Tina walked over to close the case. 

Once she had, she rounded on her sister.  “Queenie.”  

“I  _ tried _ to obliviate him, Teeny.  But he begged me not to.”  

“Well of course he did…” Tina replied, walking over to sit on the couch.  “Why wouldn’t he?  He misses you.  Loves you.  He just got it all back… all the memories, everything..”  She groaned.  “Queenie, I’m sorry… the bakery is being watched.   _ You’re _ being watched.  You have to--”  

“Well…”  Queenie said quietly.  “I did sort of... _ pretend _ to obliviate him.”

“Pretend?”  Tina asked.  “How?”  

“I told him how to act…”  Queenie explained.  “Sort of dazed and wandering around…”  

“That’s not going to fool MACUSA for long, though…”  

“I thought… maybe it’d be long enough to…”  

“To what, Queenie?”  

“To think of another way.” 

“There ain’t another way, Queenie. It’s the law and--”  

“It ain’t the law everywhere, Teeny.  It’s only the law in America.”  

Tina gasped a little. Queenie, leaving New York?  Leaving the country?  “Queenie, what…”  

“You know what I’m sayin’.”  Queenie gulped a little, swallowing back the tears that were glittering in the corners of her eyes.  “They got a need for bakeries across the pond.”  

“You’re…” Tina felt a lump rising in her throat.  “You’re…”  

“And they got a need for  _ my _ services over there too.  Mr. Scamander said.”  

“What? He said what?”  This was all happening so quickly.  Too quickly.  What kind of need could they possibly have for Queenie that wasn’t terribly dangerous? 

“I’m a legilimens.  There’s need for me. In the war?”  Queenie nodded. “Me and Jacob, we could have a pretty good life over there.  You could too, Tina.  But that’s your decision.”  

“What does Jacob think?” Tina asked, heavily ignoring the last part of Queenie’s statement.  

Queenie shook her head, shrugging slightly. “I dunno.  I hadn’t asked him yet.”  

Tina exhaled deeply, attempting a weak smile.  “Sounds like you’d better ask him, Queenie.”  

Her sister enveloped her in a hug.  “Thank you, Teeny.  I love you so.”  

“I know you do.  And I love you too.”  

* * *

 

**Newt**

* * *

 

He looked in the direction of his hut and smiled when he saw Tina and Queenie emerge, looking relatively unscathed, and better for their discussion.  Queenie shot him a look that he might have described as apologetic, but he didn’t have enough time to comprehend what that might mean. 

Tina joined him, holding out her arms for the mooncalf he was cradling.  He gladly gave it over, watching as Queenie went to Jacob’s side, sliding her hand into his and tugging him away.  They walked closer to Newt’s hut, taking seats opposite each other at the table he had set up outside.  

Queenie took Jacob’s hands in hers and Newt wondered what they might be talking about.  

“She’s asking him to move to London,” Tina said, smiling warmly at Newt.  “I told her she should ask him.  Since she’s been considering it.  Career-wise…” She shot Newt an amused look.  “Or so I hear.” 

He blushed furiously.  “I didn’t mean for it to become… I was only trying to help…”  

“I know.  And I thank you for it.”  She said, her tone genuine.  “She… I’ve been worried about her future here.  Now if only Jacob will agree to--”  

There was a happy screeching sound that made the mooncalf leap from Tina’s arms and run back to the herd.  But neither Tina nor Newt really cared about that upon seeing the cause of the ruckus.  

Queenie was hugging Jacob’s neck, and then she was kissing him.  

“Looks like you’re going to have some tagalongs back to England…” Tina said, smiling at Newt.  He detected a touch of sadness in her tone.  

He leaned down to grip her hand.     

* * *

 

He didn’t know  _ exactly _ how to make Tina feel better.  Extending the invitation to her almost felt like too much too fast.  Even though he knew she’d get along splendidly in England.  The Ministry would be lucky to have her.  

_ He’d _ be lucky to have her.  

He  _ was _ lucky to have her.  

But she seemed so happy in her job, barring the one episode the night before where she’d rambled on about not being able to trust her coworkers.  

But he was still on the fence.  She still hadn’t read the forward in his book. So she didn’t really know his feelings for her.  Short of opening the book to the required page and telling her to read, he didn’t know how to make that happen.  

He was still musing over this when they went back up to the Goldsteins’ for coffee.  

Queenie reached over to brush her fingers against the back of his hand.  “I’ll give you a hand with that, honey.  If you want.  I kinda feel like I owe ya.”  

He can’t think of what to offer, other than a tired smile and a ‘thank you’ as he accepted a refill on his cup of coffee.  He’d found that with enough milk and sugar, it was almost palatable.    

* * *

 

Newt left after midnight, before he was too tired to apparate properly.  Lugging his case behind him, it suddenly felt heavier than he had realized.  

He had opted not to send a letter back overseas to the Ministry, informing them of Queenie’s impending move.  He assumed Queenie and Jacob might need a bit of time to get settled before starting work anyway.  

He opened the door to the hotel where he was staying, letting it shut quietly behind him so it wouldn’t alarm whomever had the misfortune to be at the front desk at this late hour.  He reached into his pocket for his key and stopped abruptly.  

Sitting in the chair by the door was a familiar face.  One that made his blood run cold at first.  

The last time he’d seen that face, it was cursing him in the New York Subway.  

“Graves,”  Newt said, nodding his head.  The man at the front desk had either been charmed so he couldn’t see them, or was a wizard himself.  

“Scamander.”  Graves replied.  “You’re a difficult gentleman to get ahold of.”

“I’ve heard that, yes.”  He hoisted his case into his other hand, holding it away from Graves.  

“I’m not here to inquire about your creatures, sir.  I simply… need to speak with you about certain…  _ events _ from last year.”  

Newt nodded shortly, gesturing to the stairs.  “My room is on the third floor.”  

“Lead the way.”     


	6. Author's Note and Closure

Sorry to say that I won't be finishing this fic after all.  

I know that's probably really disappointing to everyone, but it's how it is.  <3  

 

I will tell you where I was going with it, just so you have closure.  

  
**Modesty's storyline:**

Modesty had that page from Newt's notes about the cockatrice.  She ends up hatching one using a rooster egg (AKA, those little dud eggs with no yolk that sometimes get laid).  The cockatrice imprints on her and she's its mother.  (She's very much like Newt or Hagrid when it comes to these hideous little creatures, I think).  Unfortunately, the cockatrice (named Bruno by Modesty) is more than a handful and she quickly loses control of him.  

Newt has to come in and capture the creature, but since it can be subdued by forcing it to look in a mirror, he and Tina are able to herd it into a sack to be taken into his case.  

Modesty is then taken in by Jacob and Queenie.  (You could probably see where I was going with that.  Queenie and Jacob were already trying to take care of her).  She's a witch, and will eventually attend Hogwarts when she's old enough.  Since her adoptive family is moving to London and all.

 

**Queenie and Jacob's storyline:**

They end up staying in America for far longer than they intended, due to the cockatrice situation.  MACUSA finds out about Jacob and orders him obliviated.  Fortunately for Jacob, Queenie has already accepted a job with the Ministry and he cannot be obliviated since she AND Newt are speaking for him. 

They move to London after the cockatrice is captured, Queenie takes a job with the Ministry and Jacob opens a bakery.  Modesty helps him there until she's old enough to get her Hogwarts letter.  

 

**Newt and Tina's storyline:**

They save New York from Bruno the Cockatrice, and Newt prepares to leave New York once more. 

Tina finally reads the foreward in Newt's book:    

 

> _For Tina.  We've spent so long in the dark, sometimes even starlight is blinding.  I would gladly go blind in your light._  

 

And decides to go where everyone else she loves is going, because MACUSA isn't somewhere she wants to be anymore.  She, like Queenie, accepts a job with the Ministry, and everyone moves to London and lives happily ever after until Dumbledore calls on them to help with all the Grindelwald mess.    
  
THE END.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry I couldn't finish this, but it is what it is.  And I wanted to give you closure, which I hope I have done.)
> 
> I know you are probably disappointed, but please refrain from being hateful in the comments, please and thank you. <3      


End file.
